Perspectives
by Colin-Ryan0906
Summary: Albus Dumbledore's death left the Wizarding World nearly broken. There are people within the world who are trying to fix it, but this proves more difficult than first thought as Voldemort begins to rise higher than ever before. AU after HBP. Canon-compliant for the most part. Multiple points of view. Rating may change in the future if necessary.
1. Draco

**Disclaimer****: The following story is merely fanfiction derived from the amazing works of J.K. Rowling, the author of the great "_Harry Potter_" series. While, at times, there will be dialogue used from various books in the "_Harry Potter_" series, I do not intend copyright infringement. I will make no money from this venture and I am simply trying to improve my writing skills.**

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**_Author's Note_**

**This fanfiction is going to be an interesting one to write and, I hope, read. My plan is to have everything from the plot the same up until the very end of "_Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_" and I will go from there. Despite the plot being different, all things that come from "_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_" will be in the story. This means that things like the Horcruxes and the Hallows will remain the same, at least at the beginning. Things will change as the plot does, however, so this is not going to be going over everything that happened in "_Deathly Hallows_".**

**If any of you have ever read the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, the format of this story will be similar to that. I will have characters that all have chapters from their point of view. For example, this chapter is from Draco Malfoy's point of view, and he will have future chapters from his point of view as well as others having their own. This allows me to tell various stories at once while maintaining the main story. I have chosen to not use Harry as a P.O.V. Character for several reasons, but the main reason is that the series was already from his point of view and I wanted a fresh perspective.**

**I would like to note that I am not overly fond of the title of this story, so I will welcome any other possibilities that you may have.**

**But enough of my rambling. This first chapter, as I said earlier, is from the point of view of Draco Malfoy and is set before and during the events of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Oh, I feel that I should warn you that there are allusions to certain things that may offend some readers, though it is never, and will never be, explicit.**

**Enjoy, and please let me know what you think. Good or bad.**

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_**Draco**_

Draco Malfoy was sitting in one of the couches in the Slytherin Common Room, hand in hand with Pansy Parkinson while Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle sat opposite them. The younger Slytherin students weren't bothering them, as they hardly ever did. The older students made sure of that on the day that the First Years arrived each and every year. Draco, however, had never participated in a lot of that, claiming that he was "above such things". The real reason was one only two people knew. Himself, and a student that was in Sixth Year when Draco was in his First.

Generally, on the first night of the year, the new First Year Slytherins were somewhat bullied, under the guise of "initiation", to make sure that they didn't think that they were on the same level as the older students. When Draco had made his way to the common room, he found that there was a lot of mental bullying going on. He was the only one who got a form of physical bullying from a Sixth Year boy that he no longer knew the name of, be it because he had forgotten it or because it had been blocked from his memory.

The first time the Sixth Year tried something, Draco had said that, if it didn't stop, he would have his father have him expelled. That only made the boy laugh and simply try harder. Draco tried to get away, but the older boy far overpowered him and Draco found himself forced to sit through it all, as uncomfortable and upset as he was. Luckily, this only happened on that first night, although that was enough to give Draco nightmares for quite a while.

From that day, Draco made sure that he never participated in any such things. He only went as far as ignoring the students. He knew, from about Fourth Year onwards, Theodore Nott became a lot like that Sixth Year boy, and Draco found himself hating Theo because of it. In fact, as he gradually forgot the face of the Sixth Year, for some reason Theo's face became that face.

It was actually in Fourth Year that Draco found a First Year boy sitting in a corner, crying and shaking uncontrollably. It was late at night, probably around three o'clock, but Draco was up because the first night back at Hogwarts made him have more nightmares. He found that the room was empty, save himself and the boy. Draco felt his heart go out to the boy, who he couldn't seem to remember the name of.

The Common Room was bathed in a dark green light, though everything still appeared dark and Draco couldn't easily see the boy. The boy didn't even notice Draco sit down, though he did notice it when Draco put an arm around his shoulder as he whimpered and flinched away.

"No..." the boy had said weakly, and in a tone that made Draco's heart simply drop. "Please..."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Draco had said softly and pulled the boy closer, remembering how much he hated not having anyone there to hold him after that first night. The boy seemed to give in and buried his face in Draco's shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I know what happened. It will get better."

There had been a silence for what seemed like an hour before the boy looked up into Draco's eyes. This was the first chance for Draco to see the boy's face clearly. The first thing Draco noticed was how small the boy was. He then saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his mouth was cracked. The boy had short black hair and blue eyes. Draco remembered him as Graham Pritchard from the Sorting Ceremony.

"Will it?" Graham Pritchard had asked. Draco had nodded, though said nothing.

Draco's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the coin in his pocket heating up and vibrating. His eyes seemed to widen as he let go of Pansy's hand mid-conversation and stood up abruptly, followed stupidly by Crabbe and Goyle. His now freed hand went straight into his pocket.

"Draco?" Pansy asked, looking at him strangely. "What's the matter, darling?" Draco could feel the heat radiating from the coin as she spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek, a motion which he was pleased to note that Crabbe and Goyle did not follow, "but I have to go. No matter what happens, you need to stay here. That means you as well," he finished, looking to Crabbe and Goyle.

"What are you doing Draco?" Pansy demanded, leaving her seat. Draco looked around the room to see that some of the younger students were looking at him.

"Something I have to do, Pansy," Draco said, turning on his heel and leaving. He could still hear other footsteps, though. "Sit back down." The footsteps stopped and Draco briskly walked to his dormitory where he picked up the Hand of Glory which he shrunk and put it in his pocket. He also found some Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that he had gotten from a First Year Hufflepuff boy. He thought that it could be of some use.

As he left the Common Room, Draco immediately got out the coin and found the words written on it. _This is it_, he thought. _Dumbledore's gone. Now's the time to act._ Despite everything, he didn't feel as happy as he thought he would.

As he walked along the corridors of Hogwarts, Draco seemed to take more notice of it, knowing that this could well have been the last time that he ever looked at the school. It was as he was doing this, that he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror and came to a halt.

He looked terrible. He looked nothing like he had in the past. Some of that was surely to do with aging and being a teenager, but he found that he looked much too old to be a sixteen year old. He looked thirty at least.

There were dark rings under his eyes as he looked at himself. He reached up to his hair, which seemed to feel thinner. He lifted his robe, and touched his stomach to find that he could actually feel his ribs, where he had once felt muscle. He had to have looked in horror at the image in the glass before shaking himself out of it and walked onwards, up too many flights of stairs. But every time he came past a window or a mirror, his bloodshot eyes seemed to always look at himself as he passed.

He finally reached the seventh floor and that familiar tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy. Draco instinctively closed his eyes and began pacing in front of it. _I need the Vanishing Cabinet. I need the Vanishing Cabinet. I need the Vanishing Cabinet_, Draco thought quickly. When he opened his eyes, Draco found a large, steel door in front of him which he quickly pushed open.

The room he found was packed to the brim with objects, as usual. It was almost like a city the way the objects piled to the high roof above. Draco, however, wasted no time and began to walk as fast as he could. _Right. Left. Left. Right. Left. Right. Right. Left. Left. Right. Left. Left. Right._ Eventually he came to the large cabinet. It loomed a good foot taller than Draco, and Draco suddenly felt scared. His right hand went to his left forearm as he realised just what he would be unleashing upon the school and its students.

He suddenly remembered Graham Pritchard again. Not as the boy he had taken to watching over, but the poor little child that was crying and shaking in the corner. He knew that Graham's family was not, and would never be, aligned with the Dark Lord. That made Graham a target. If Draco were to unleash the Death Eaters on to the school, what would become of Graham? Would he stay hidden or would he fight against the invaders? And if he did fight, how could a Third Year hope to survive this?

And then another face crossed Draco's mind. It was that of the Dark Lord. But not the face that he had seen from afar, but the face he saw up close. The face marred with a strange sense of glee while administering the Dark Mark on the screaming, then fifteen year old. Laughter filled Draco's head and he knew that he couldn't not do this. If he didn't do anything, it would cost him his life.

Draco put a hand in his other pocket and pulled out the ring. It was a simple, silver ring. But it signified more. It was the sign for Borgin to gather the Death Eaters together. Draco carefully opened the door of the repaired Vanishing Cabinet and sat the ring inside. He closed the door and drew his wand.

"_Harmonia nectere passus_," Draco murmured, pointing his wand at the cabinet, his hand shaking slightly, but visibly. There was a slight sound to indicate that it had worked. Draco waited for two minutes when he heard the sound again. He quickly opened the door and found a golden ring in place of the silver one. He smiled weakly.

He sat on a nearby table as he waited for the next part to occur. He was well aware that this part could take quite a while as many people had to be told. The Dark Lord was one of them. Though, curiously, the Dark Lord had said that he was not going to partake in this particular attack. He was, however, sending some of his best people.

"Young Draco," the Dark Lord had said, with a sickening smile on his face, which Draco had always had trouble looking at, "this is to be your job. I do not wish to be involved. I will provide you with some to help you accomplish the task, but this is your endeavour. Should you fail to kill the old man, you will be severely punished. You don't want that, do you young man?"

Draco looked into the red eyes of the Dark Lord before looking away, partly because of fear and partly because he was disgusted. He shook his head.

"Good boy," the Dark Lord had said. "Bella! Escort your nephew out and bring in Wormtail. I believe he has news." Draco had realised later that evening that Wormtail's news was not good news as the screams echoed around the manor. That was enough to motivate Draco to do what the Dark Lord wanted. The screams.

Before Draco knew it, twenty minutes had passed and he suddenly heard the sound again. He jumped to his feet immediately and opened the door to the Vanishing Cabinet. The first person through was his Aunt Bella.

"Good work, Draco," she cooed as Draco shut the door to the cabinet, awaiting the next sound. Aunt Bella then caressed his hair before beginning to look around the room. The sound happened again soon, and again, and again until all of the Death Eaters that were to partake were there. And Fenrir Greyback which both surprised and sickened Draco.

After a while, Draco realised that they were all looking at him to work out what was going on. Aunt Bella seemed to be the only one who wasn't, as she was toying with something that she picked up in the room. It looked kind of like a tiara. Draco saw her eventually pocket it.

"Well?" one man asked. Draco recognised him as Gibbon, a relatively new recruit. "What do we do?"

"Well..." Draco's voice was shaky, but somewhat composed. The entire group was watching him now, even Aunt Bella who seemed to have a nice smile on her face. A welcome change in Draco's opinion. "Rosmerta got in contact with me. She says that Dumbledore will be back soon. We need him here as soon as possible. So, we need to lure him back.

"You," Draco pointed at Gibbon. "You go to the Astronomy Tower and launch the Dark Mark from there as high as you can. If he thinks someone has been killed, the old fool will get here as soon as he can."

"Fine," Gibbon grumbled. Draco knew he would do what he could.

"Good," Draco replied. "The rest of you need to come with me. There will, no doubt, be some resistance. Potter and his friends will likely try to head us off. As you know, you need to leave Potter alive. Capture him if you can."

"What about the other traitors?" Yaxley asked. Draco was sure that Yaxley already knew the answer. The man was just testing him. Draco didn't like Granger, Lovegood, Longbottom or the Weasleys, but he didn't really have the wish to see them dead. Not really.

"Kill them," Draco said firmly, happy that his voce didn't crack. "But you have to realise that the main objective here is to kill Dumbledore. Not other students. Don't do anything that would hurt the main objective."

"You aren't trying to protect your school _chums_, are you Draco?" Amycus taunted. Everyone there seemed to laugh except Draco and Aunt Bella. Draco did, however, redden slightly. He hoped that they thought it was out of anger.

"No. I just want to get things done as easily as possible," Draco said quickly and slightly angrily.

"If the Order gets here," Aunt Bella added, "we won't win. There's too many of them. This is, and was always meant to be, a small mission. Otherwise the Dark Lord would have sent more of us. We cannot face all of the school, the teachers, Dumbledore and the Order with so few of us."

The group fell silent.

"If that's all," Draco said impatiently, pulling out and enlarging the Hand of Glory, carrying it in one hand and the Instant Darkness Powder in the other. "I'll leave first to check that everything's alright. If there are people out there, I'll use the powder. If that happens, only I can see because of the Hand of Glory, so we'll need to go single file and hold hands to get through. So be prepared."

Draco led the Death Eaters to the exit of the room. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that they had actually gotten into single file. That lifted Draco's spirits somewhat. It was every Slytherin's dream to be able to command such power. _But is this the power I want?_

When Draco opened the door, the first thing he saw were the Weasleys and Longbottom. Straight away, he threw the powder into the air and lifted the Hand of Glory so that he could see to get out of the powder. He reached back and took his Aunt's hand in his. It was the first time he had held his Aunt's hand and he found it quite smooth. But he didn't have time to think about that, however, as he walked forward straight away. He was quite pleased with himself hearing the fools try to use spells to see things. Luckily, the Death Eaters were able to contain themselves enough to not attack them.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly once the Death Eaters were out of the smoke and Draco started to lead them to the Astronomy Tower. Gibbon, however, decided to run ahead to do his duty. Draco wanted to go with him, but Aunt Bella held his arm.

"If you go with him, there's no telling what will happen," she whispered to him. It was not like his Aunt to be like this, but Draco knew better than to disobey. It was while the group was making their way to the tower that people started to come. As they were walking, Draco saw some people emerge in front of them, out of a side corridor. He wasn't sure who they were, but he knew that they wouldn't be friendly.

Aunt Bella grabbed him and forcefully pushed him into a small, cave-like area in the wall before all hell broke loose. Draco saw Fenrir Greyback run right forward and start attacking someone extremely viciously. Draco put his head around the corner to try to see things better and saw that the one that Greyback was attacking was a red-head. _One of the older Weasley's no doubt_. The thought brought no pleasure to Draco.

But before he could get a better look at everything that was going on, he saw a stunning spell hurtling towards his head. Draco was barely able to get his head back into the cave. He swore that he could feel the wind brush past his head. He sat there, hearing the sounds of spells being cast for a few minutes when he saw three familiar people head past him and towards the battle. It was the Weasleys and Longbottom again. _Where's Potter? _Draco wondered to himself. It was beginning to worry him that Potter hadn't shown up yet.

It didn't take long for Draco to realise that he had to move. If he didn't, he would miss the chance to kill Dumbledore. The problem was that the only way to get to the Astronomy Tower was through the battle. Draco realised that he would have to chance it. If he did nothing he would be dead anyway.

So Draco quickly scurried out of the cave and was very nearly hit by a stunner that had been fired by someone. He assumed that it was one of the Order of the Phoenix, since they never killed anyone. A sentiment that the Death Eaters, unsurprisingly, did not share.

And he ran. He ran as fast as he could towards the battle. There were red and green lights everywhere, but he seemed less afraid while he was running. As he was running, he caught the eye of Aunt Bella. She seemed pleased that he was getting a move on, which made him feel even better about things. It was then, strangely, that he realised that he had lost the coin and the Hand of Glory. They weren't important anymore, so he continued to run.

Once, he had to dodge a Killing Curse which was cast by a Death Eater at the wrong angle, but otherwise, he had a clean run. He did have to step over a dead body, which the darkness had obscured. He took a guess and assumed that Greyback had finished the job. For some reason, he felt sick at the thought. But he didn't stop. He kept running until he was out of range of the fighting.

He caught his breath as he walked the rest of the way, but soon reached the steps that lead to the top of the Astronomy Tower. He took the steps two at a time in order to get up there quick enough. When he reached the door he quickly opened the door.

"_Expelliarmus_!" he cried, mainly as a precaution. As soon as he spoke the last syllable, he saw Dumbledore standing there. The old man swished his wand, but made no move to block the spell which sent the wand flying. It unnerved Draco that Dumbledore showed no sign of panic at all.

"Good evening, Draco," Dumbledore said almost amicably, looking Draco directly in the eyes and seeming to see right through Draco, right into his soul. Draco stepped forward and glanced around the room quickly and saw no one. He saw two brooms, however and instantly became suspicious.

"Who else is here?" Draco asked, not looking away from the brooms.

"A question I might ask you," Dumbledore said in an annoyingly calm voice. "Or are you acting alone?"

Draco immediately looked away from the brooms and back at Dumbledore who had not looked away from him at all.

"No," he said, not sounding overly confident. He could feel the sweat on his face and reached up with his left hand to fix his hair slightly. "I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."

"Well, well," Dumbledore responded, in a tone that suggested to Draco that he was actually impressed. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

"Yeah," said Malfoy, who realised that he was panting from the sprinting that he had to do to get to the tower. "Right under your nose and you never realized!"

"Ingenious," Dumbledore said, seemingly sincerely. "Yet…forgive me…where are they now? You seem unsupported."

"They met some of your guard. They're having a fight down below," Draco remembered the body on the ground and, unbidden, the image of Graham and then Theo came to his mind. "They won't be long…I came on ahead. I - I've got a job to do."

"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy," Dumbledore said softly, sounding his age for the first time in as long as Draco had known the man. In a strange way that unnerved Draco.

There was silence for a time. All Draco did was stare at the man that he was tasked with killing. And then, all of a sudden, Dumbledore smiled. Draco felt more frightened of that smile than of the Dark Lord's.

"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."

"How do you know?" Draco said immediately, hating himself for doing so just as soon as he did. _But he's right_. Draco could feel his cheeks light up. "You don't know what I'm capable of," Draco said suddenly, with far more force. "You don't know what I've done!"

"Oh, yes, I do," Dumbledore said mildly. Draco's eyes widened. "You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts…so feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it…"

"It has been in it!" Draco replied hotly. _No it hasn't_. "I've been working on it all year, and tonight —"

Draco suddenly heard a muffled yell and he stiffened and quickly glanced over his shoulder. He hated himself for showing such fear in front of the man he was supposed to kill.

"Somebody is putting up a good fight," Dumbledore said in an almost happy tone which actually made Draco feel a little sick. "But you were saying… yes, you have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school which, I admit, I thought impossible…how did you do it?"

Draco heard what Dumbledore said, but was too busy listening to the sounds from below. He couldn't help but wonder who it was, and he found himself frightened for whoever it was. Friend or foe. Even if it was Potter.

"Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone," Dumbledore said and Draco turned quickly to meet the much older man's eyes, his own showing some fear. "What if your backup has been thwarted by my guard? As you have perhaps realized, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight, too. And after all, you don't really need help… I have no wand at the moment…I cannot defend myself."

Draco stared at the man and looked to Dumbledore's hands, one of which looked almost dead as it was. Dumbledore was right. He had no wand. _Do it_, Draco thought forcefully, but that thought was followed up with a feeble, _I can't_.

"I see," Dumbledore continued kindly, after Draco spent some time doing nothing at all but looking at the old man's hands. "You are afraid to act until they join you."

"I'm not afraid!" Draco said loudly, though he still made no move to hurt Dumbledore. "It's you who should be scared!" _But he's not. I am._

"But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe…so tell me, while we wait for your friends…how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it." Dumbledore continued to annoy Draco with his calm tone.

Draco was fighting down the urge to vomit. He gulped and took several deep breaths, glaring at Dumbledore, his wand pointing at the old man. He thought about it and realised that there was no reason not to tell Dumbledore the plan.

"I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years," he said, noting the look in Dumbledore's eyes. "The one Montague got lost in last year."

"Aaaah." Dumbledore's sigh seemed pained. He closed his eyes for a moment and Dracoo realised how weak the man actually was. "That was clever…there is a pair, I take it?"

"The other's in _Borgin and Burke's_," Draco replied, not lowering his wand, "and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the Cabinet was travelling between them, but he couldn't make anyone hear him…in the end he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a really good story, but I was the only one who realized what it meant — even Borgin didn't know — I was the one who realized there could be a way into Hogwarts through the Cabinets if I fixed the broken one."

"Very good," Dumbledore murmured, still sounding impressed. Draco realised that Dumbledore's words were making him feel better somehow. "So the Death Eaters were able to pass from _Borgin and Burke's_ into the school to help you…a clever plan, a very clever plan...and, as you say, right under my nose…"

"Yeah," Draco replied, more enthusiastic than before, feeling strangely elated at the praise. "Yeah, it was!"

"But there were times," Dumbledore went on, "weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the Cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands…poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink…"

"Yeah, well, you still didn't realize who was behind that stuff, did you?" Draco said with a smile. As he did he noticed that Dumbledore slid a little down the ramparts, the strength in his legs apparently fading. Somehow, this made him feel better as well. But worse at the same time.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Dumbledore replied, surprising Draco. "I was sure it was you."

"Why didn't you stop me, then?" Draco demanded, actually angry that his plans were so easily seen through.

"I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders —" While Dumbledore was talking, Draco snorted and interrupted.

"He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother —" but as he was talking, Dumbledore interrupted, surprising Draco.

"Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but —"

"He's a double-agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!" Draco had been there at Death Eater meetings when Snape gave information on the Order of the Phoenix. He knew where the man's true loyalties laid. And it wasn't with Dumbledore.

"We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape —" Draco couldn't believe the stupidity of the old man.

"Well, you're losing your grip, then!" Malfoy said with a laugh. "He's been offering me plenty of help — wanting all the glory for himself — wanting a bit of the action — 'What are you doing? Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything —' But I haven't told him what I've been doing in the Room of Requirement, he's going to wake up tomorrow and it'll all be over and he won't be the Dark Lord's favourite any more, he'll be nothing compared to me, nothing!" Draco suddenly realised that he was moving his lips, but his father's voice was coming out. Everything that his father had ever taught him, came out of his mouth.

"Very gratifying," Dumbledore said with a feeble nod. "We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course…but you must have had an accomplice, all the same…someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the - the – aaaah." It was clear that Dumbledore had realised the answer. Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as though he was about to fall asleep. "…of course…Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?"

"Got there at last, have you?" Draco taunted.

There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last and Draco looked straight over his shoulder before looking straight back at Dumbledore.

"So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead…well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present…yes, very neat…very neat…" Draco seemed quite pleased with the praise, even though it was coming from a man he was to kill. "Poor Mr. Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta's…tell me, how have you been communicating with Rosmerta? I thought we had all methods of communication in and out of the school monitored."

"Enchanted coins," Draco replied. He noticed that his wand hand was shaking badly. "I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages —"

"Isn't that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore's Army used last year?" Dumbledore asked, his voice light and conversational. Draco noticed him slip even further.

"Yeah, I got the idea from them," Draco replied, with a twisted smile. "I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger, as well, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognising potions…"

"Please do not use that offensive word in front of me," Dumbledore said quickly, clearly disgusted. Draco couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

"You care about me saying 'Mudblood' when I'm about to kill you?" he asked with a laugh.

"Yes, I do," Dumbledore replied with a steely tone, his feet sliding slightly on the floor. "But as for being about to kill me, Draco, you have had several long minutes now. We are quite alone. I am more defenseless than you can have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted…"

Draco had realised that all he was doing was stalling. The thought of killing someone was easier to digest than actually killing someone. Particularly someone who was standing there defenceless and who was actually being complimentary towards him. His mouth twisted slightly at the truth of the words that Dumbledore had spoken.

"Now, about tonight," Dumbledore went on, "I am a little puzzled about how it happened…you knew that I had left the school? But of course," Draco could actually see the old man's brain tick over as he put it all together, "Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I'm sure…"

"That's right," Draco replied. "But she said you were just going for a drink, you'd be back…"

"Well, I certainly did have a drink…and I came back…after a fashion," Dumbledore mumbled just loud enough for Draco to hear. Draco didn't quite understand that, but let it go. Dumbledore was a fool after all. "So you decided to spring a trap for me?"

"We decided to put the Dark Mark over the Tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who'd been killed," Draco replied with a smile. "And it worked!"

"Well…yes and no…" Dumbledore said in such a way that dropped Draco's spirits. "But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?"

"Someone's dead," Draco said as harshly as he could so as to not betray how sick he felt at the mere thought of that body, but even so, his voice went up an octave. "One of your people…I don't know who, it was dark…I stepped over the body…I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way…"

"Yes, they do that," Dumbledore said with a small smile.

There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever. Draco guessed that the fighting had moved to the actual spiral staircase that led to where Dumbledore and Draco stood.

"There is little time, one way or another," Dumbledore said almost impatiently. "So let us discuss your options, Draco." Draco's eyes widened and he began to feel quite angry very quickly.

"My options!" He found himself yelling. "I'm standing here with a wand — I'm about to kill you —"

"My dear boy, let us have no more pretence about that," Dumbledore said kindly. "If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."

"I haven't got any options!" Draco suddenly burst out, sounding more like a child than he had in years. "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!" Secretly, he was wondering if Dumbledore could actually save him. If he could...

"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," Dumbledore said in the voice of a grandfather talking to a grandson. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you." Draco shuddered at the name as the face came to his mind and laughter filled his head.

"I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," Dumbledore continued in the same tone. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other…no harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived…I can help you, Draco."

"No, you can't," Draco said sadly, truly realising that he could not win in this situation. He looked to his wand hand and found himself shaking badly. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."

"Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine," that piqued Draco's interest. "What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban…when the time comes we can protect him too…come over to the right side, Draco…you are not a killer…"

Draco stared at Dumbledore for a time. There seemed to be two voices going in his head. His father's voice, telling him about the rewards of the Dark Lord and what he could do for them. And then there was his own voice. But Draco had been taught to obey his father.

"But I got this far, didn't I?" he said slowly. "They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here…and you're in my power…I'm the one with the wand…you're at my mercy…"

"No, Draco," Dumbledore said quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now." Draco raised his eyebrows.

But suddenly footsteps were thundering up the stairs and a second later Draco was pushed out of the way as four people in black robes burst through the door on to the ramparts. Amycus Carrow, had an odd lopsided leer as he gave a wheezy giggle.

"Dumbledore cornered!" he said happily, and he turned to his sister, Alecto, who was grinning eagerly. "Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!"

"Good evening, Amycus," said Dumbledore calmly. "And you've brought Alecto too…charming…"

"Think your little jokes'll help you on your death bed, then?" Alecto jeered. Draco was a little put off by this intrusion.

"Jokes? No, no, these are manners," Dumbledore replied and Draco nearly scoffed, but kept it to himself.

"Do it," said the rasping bark of a voice of Greyback. Draco was sure the werewolf was talking to him.

"Is that you, Fenrir?" Dumbledore asked.

"That's right," Greyback rasped. "Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?"

"No, I cannot say that I am…" Dumbledore replied quetly.

Greyback grinned, showing pointed teeth. Blood trickled down his chin and he licked his lips slowly, obscenely. Draco felt sick once again.

"But you know how much I like kids, Dumbledore." Draco saw Theodore Nott for half a second when Greyback said that.

"Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual…you have developed a taste for human flesh that cannot be satisfied once a month?" Draco was surprised at the audacity of Dumbledore, a man facing down five people with no wand of his own in sight.

"That's right," Greyback replied with a creepy smile. "Shocks you, that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?"

"Well, I cannot pretend it does not disgust me a little," Dumbledore replied. _It disgusts me_, Draco thought. "And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the school where his friends live…"

"I didn't," Draco said, trying not to throw up. He didn't even look at the werewolf. "I didn't know he was going to come —" That was true enough.

"I wouldn't want to miss a trip to Hogwarts, Dumbledore," Greyback rasped. "Not when there are throats to be ripped out…delicious, delicious…" Draco nearly heaved. Greyback then raised a yellow fingernail and picked at his front teeth, leering at Dumbledore. "I could do you for afters, Dumbledore…"

"No," Yaxley said suddenly. "We've got orders. Draco's got to do it. Now, Draco, and quickly."

Draco felt terrified as he stared into Dumbledore's face, which was even paler, and rather lower than usual, as he had slid so far down the rampart wall. Draco knew, in that moment, that he could not kill Dumbledore.

"He's not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!" Amycus said with a laugh, which was accompanied by Alecto giggling. "Look at him — what's happened to you, then, Dumby?"

"Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus," Dumbledore replied. "Old age, in short… one day, perhaps, it will happen to you… if you are lucky…"

"What's that mean, then, what's that mean?" Amycus yelled, apparently haven taken offense at those words.

"Always the same, weren't yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing, I don't even know why the Dark Lord's bothering to kill yeh!" _I'm supposed to kill him, not the Dark Lord_. Alecto turned to Draco. "Come on, Draco, do it!"

But at that moment, there were renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted, "They've blocked the stairs - Reducto! REDUCTO!" It appeared to Draco that the Carrows, Yaxley and Greyback hadn't actually stopped everyone. And that worried him.

"Now, Draco, quickly!" Yaxley yelled angrily. But Draco's hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim, not that he was going to do anything.

"I'll do it," Greyback snarled, moving towards Dumbledore with his hands outstretched, his teeth bared.

"I said no!" Yaxley yelled and there was a flash of light. The werewolf was blasted out of the way and hit the ramparts and staggered, looking furious.

"Draco, do it, or stand aside so one of us —" Alecto shrieked, but at that precise moment the door to the ramparts burst open once more and there stood Severus Snape, his wand clutched in his hand as his black eyes swept the scene, from Dumbledore slumped against the wall, to the four Death Eaters, including the enraged werewolf, and Draco.

"We've got a problem, Snape," said the lumpy Amycus, whose eyes and wand were fixed upon Dumbledore, "the boy doesn't seem able —" He was cut off by Dumbledore's feeble voice.

"Severus…"

Dumbledore was pleading, Draco realised. But for what reason? If he truly believed that Severus was on his side, why was he pleading?

Severus said nothing, but walked forwards and pushed Draco roughly out of the way. Finally stopping Draco from having to kill Dumbledore. Severus gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.

"Severus… please…"

Severus raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Draco wanted to scream both in horror, surprise and happiness as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. Dumbledore was soon out of sight as he fell behind the ramparts.

"Out of here, quickly," Severus said as he seized Draco by the scruff of his neck. Draco was finally able to tear his gaze away from the edge of the tower when Snape threw him through the door to the stairs where Draco started to run and the others followed. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, however, he heard a familiar voice.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Potter shouted and Draco heard someone fall. It wasn't Severus, though, as he pushed Draco to the bottom of the stairs.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Draco saw the fighting still going on, involving a lot of people, a few of whom he could actually recognise.

"It's over! Time to go!" Severus yelled. Amidst the fighting, Draco heard Potter's voice again.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Potter shouted. Draco looked back in time to see Greyback fall on top of Potter. After that, things became a bit of a blur for Draco. The next thing that he could clearly remember was being outside the castle and close to that oaf, Hagrid's, hut.

"_Stupefy_!" Draco heard Potter's voice yell. Draco turned around to see the spell go right past Severus' head.

"Run, Draco!" Severus yelled. Draco didn't have to be told twice as he turned and sprinted towards the gate. He ran through it and was about to Apparate away, but turned around to see Potter being bested by Severus. Draco didn't want to stick around too much longer, so he turned on his heel and Apparated back to the safety of Malfoy Manor. And the Dark Lord.


	2. Colin

******Disclaimer****: The following story is merely fanfiction derived from the amazing works of J.K. Rowling, the author of the great "_Harry Potter_" series. While, at times, there will be dialogue used from various books in the "_Harry Potter_" series, I do not intend copyright infringement. I will make no money from this venture and I am simply trying to improve my writing skills.**

* * *

_**Colin**_

Albus Dumbledore's funeral was little more than four hours away when Colin Creevey was approached by Professor McGonagall, who had a very sombre look on her face. Colin noticed straight away that McGonagall didn't, for once, have any emerald green on her anywhere. She wore a flowing black dress over which she had a frilly, dark black robe. When Colin looked into her face, he could see that she looked old. Too old.

"Dennis," Colin said, looking to his brother who was fiddling with his trunk. "How about you go to your dorm and check to see if you have everything?"

"I do," Dennis said, looking at McGonagall.

"Just look anyway," Colin replied. Dennis looked away from McGonagall and sighed before running to the stairs.

"You two are very close," McGonagall observed in a somewhat reserved tone. Not anything like Colin had always known her.

"Yeah," Colin replied. _Not much choice_. "Is everything okay Professor?" Colin saw something flicker in the older witch's eyes, but it went away very quickly.

"As much as it can be," McGonagall admitted. "I'm here to ask you about your plans, Creevey."

"My plans?" Colin asked with a little surprise.

"Your plans," McGonagall repeated. "There is a high possibility that Hogwarts will not reopen next year as it is now not exactly safe. If that is the case, there could be serious problems for you."

"Because I'm a Muggle-born?" Colin asked. He was no fool. He understood how the Death Eaters saw him and others like him.

"If the school does not reopen, I would recommend that you and the rest of your family go into hiding," McGonagall said sombrely. "You are a target merely because of your birth."

"Into hiding? Where?" Colin asked.

"We could help you with it all," McGonagall said quietly, sitting next to Colin so as to keep her voice low. The Common Room was not exactly empty. "Can I assume you know about the Order?" Colin felt his face go red before nodding. That, at least, made McGonagall chuckle. "Possibly the worst kept secret in the Wizarding World.

"As I was saying, we can help you," McGonagall said. "We can hide you and your family for their own protection. We are planning on offering this to most, if not all, Muggle-born students. Of course, we do not expect many to accept."

"But you expect me to?" Colin asked.

"Yes," McGonagall said simply. "We know that you know what You-Know-Who can do through your own knowledge of Harry Potter and what's happened to him over the years. That should tell you enough."

Colin did know about a lot of what Harry had done over the years. Some things he heard through the grapevine and others from Harry himself. In Colin's first year, Harry had been there when Colin was unpetrified. He was there because he believed that Colin deserved to know the full story. Lockhart. Ginny. The basilisk. Fawkes. Harry told him all of it.

Colin nodded.

"Good," McGonagall said, standing up again. "I will organise someone to contact your parents within a day or two. Are you –" Colin interrupted her.

"But what if we still get attacked?" he asked suddenly. "I don't turn seventeen until the end of May next year and Dennis is only thirteen. If we're attacked by Death Eaters, we won't be allowed to defend ourselves." McGonagall pursed her lips.

"That is true," she admitted. "And there have been cases. Rare cases, mind you, where a student has been granted emancipation from certain Wizarding Laws, and have been allowed to practice magic outside of Hogwarts."

"Do you think I could get emancipated?" Colin asked, somewhat eagerly. McGonagall thought for a minute.

"I can try to organise something," she said. "Are you staying for the funeral?" Colin nodded. All of the students had been allowed to skip the funeral of their old Headmaster if they wanted to. Colin was tempted to. Not because of his lack of respect for Dumbledore, but because he and Dennis had only been to one other funeral before, and that was when Dennis was two and he was five and their memories of the event had faded. Colin eventually decided to go because he felt that he needed to honour the Headmaster in some way. "Excellent. I believe Melinda is going to be there as well. I might be able to talk to her. I will let you know."

"Thank you Professor," Colin said gratefully. McGonagall nodded and walked away just as Dennis came down the stairs.

"What was that about?" he asked quickly.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Colin replied. He didn't like keeping things from his little brother, but he knew what would happen if he found out that Colin might be allowed to use magic outside of school.

Colin reached over and pulled Dennis into a hug. It was then that he realised just how tall Dennis had gotten. The thirteen year old was nearly as tall as he was.

"What was that for?" Dennis asked, looking around the room.

"Nothing really," Colin replied. "Just make sure everything's ready. We leave not long after the funeral."

During the funeral Colin and Dennis sat together with a few other students from Gryffindor. From time to time, Colin looked around and saw Luna Lovegood sitting with Neville Longbottom and Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry sitting together as well. Colin felt a strong sense of guilt as he watched all of them. By all accounts, those six were the only ones that had helped that night that were in Dumbledore's Army. Colin would have been there had he had his coin on him, but he had assumed that no meeting would be called as late as that, and left it in his trunk. He missed the call.

The rest of the funeral went off without a hitch and was over much quicker than Colin had expected. He had shed a tear or two for the death of the man. Dennis was much more affected, though Colin tried to comfort him as much as he could. Dennis had always been softer than him in that way.

Colin became a little upset when he started to leave to get on the carriages. Not because he was leaving Hogwarts, or even because Dumbledore was dead. But because McGonagall hadn't spoken to him. However, just as he was about to get into a carriage with Dennis, she walked over to him.

"Mr Creevey. A word if I may?" she asked politely and Colin nodded. "I spoke to Melinda Fernando immediately after the funeral. Melinda is well versed in Wizarding Law, and she believes that you have just cause for emancipation and can help you get it as she works for the Ministry. She will come by your home tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. She will assess your situation herself and give the findings to the Minister. If he finds your cause sufficient, he may well grant you emancipation." Colin beamed.

"Thank you so much Professor!" he said happily.

"Not a problem," she said. "You had best get into your carriage otherwise you will miss the train."

The train ride was a long one for Colin. He and Dennis sat with three of Dennis' Gryffindor friends, so the compartment was quite noisy. At times, Colin wanted to scream at them for the sheer audacity of being happy so soon after the funeral. And then he realised that they were probably doing the right thing. Colin remembered the last sentence of Albus Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card.

_Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling._

The thought made Colin realise that Dumbledore probably wanted people to simply move on. Colin looked at Dennis and his friends Luke, Jaime and Tyrone as they fought over the last Chocolate Frog and realised that Dumbledore would have preferred that train trip home. Not the broody one that Colin was having.

But despite that new-found thought, Colin could not bring himself to think about anything except the War. Voldemort now had more power than he had before because he had successfully killed Dumbledore. Well, not him personally, but certainly one of his minions. Snape, Colin had heard. Not that that particularly surprised him. Snape was certainly that type of man. And he had not been at the funeral.

Thinking about the War, led him to thinking about Harry Potter. Harry, it appeared, had been at the centre of the War from the very beginning, and couldn't get out of it. Colin knew where this was going. Voldemort, not You-Know-Who, had been gunning for Harry from the beginning. This was either going to end with Harry or Voldemort dead, Colin was sure of it. And Colin wanted nothing more than to help Harry in some way.

Colin spent the remainder of the train trip thinking of ways that he could help, and consistently came up with nothing. He was not particularly skilled at magic, nor was he particularly brainy. Besides, he realised that Harry probably wouldn't take his help because he only saw Colin as the small annoyance who seemed to be obsessed with him, which wasn't true. Not really.

When the train pulled up, Colin had to drag Dennis away from his friends before Dennis finally gave up and sulkily dragged his trunk off the train. Colin passed Harry once and found him with the same, complicated look that he had had the last few days. It was a haunted look.

When they got off the train, Colin soon found his father, who was there to welcome the two of them. Colin hugged his father tighter than usual, happier than ever to see him. He had always been worried that he would be attacked.

"Good to see you too, bud," his father said with a laugh. Dennis favoured their father more than Colin did. Other than Dennis' hair, he was growing to look more like his father while Colin remained similar to their mother.

Dennis hugged their father as well before Colin asked where their mother was.

"She couldn't get off work," his father replied with a small smile. "She was rather upset about that, to be honest, but she is allowed home early."

"That's good Dad, because I've got something I need to tell you," Colin said, looking over the Platform. "But right now we need to go."

"What's wrong?" his father asked.

"Professor Dumbledore's dead," Colin said simply.

"I know," his father replied. "We got an owl. But why the paranoia?"

"It was the Death Eaters," Dennis piped up. Their father looked strange at that.

"But they've been around for a while now, haven't they?" he asked. Colin nodded as he pulled his father through the barrier.

"Yes, but they've never gotten into Hogwarts before, and no one has ever broken into Hogwarts," Colin said. "That means they can get anywhere. Where did you park?"

It took them about an hour and a half in the car to get home, and Colin refused to tell his father anything about the plans made with McGonagall. Not without his mother there. When they reached home, Colin's heart fell when he saw that the front door to the house was open and the living room lights on. He didn't move for a while.

"Stay here," he said seriously.

"What do you mean?" his father asked.

"Stay here," Colin said more firmly, taking his wand out of his pocket and readying it. He slowly made his way to the front door and pushed it open lightly, so as to not make too much of a sound, all the while keeping his wand raised.

He walked into the house and turned into the living room and found no one there. He turned to the kitchen door and started to walk forward slowly. As he did, the door opened.

It was his mother.

At the sight of her son brandishing his wand against her, Colin's mother dropped the cup of coffee she had apparently just made.

"Colin!" she shouted. "What are you doing?" Colin lowered the wand.

"Um...sorry Mum...I'm just a bit on edge," Colin said, turning red. His mother's face turned sombre.

"Because of what happened to your Headmaster?" she asked quietly. _No. The war in general_, Colin thought grimly. He nodded. "Oh, honey. That won't happen to us. I promise." Colin wasn't convinced. "Where are your brother and father?"

"In the car. I told them to wait there," Colin said. He moved to go and get them, but his mother pushed him down into a chair.

"I'll get them," she said. Colin nodded, feeling foolish. It was about two minutes until they came inside and Dennis rushed upstairs to empty his trunk. Colin figured that this was the best time to talk to his parents about what was going on, so he told them what he could.

"So, Professor McGonagall will help to keep us away from this War?" his mother asked. Colin nodded. "How?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Colin replied. "She said someone will be by in a day or two. Melinda will be around tomorrow at ten."

"And this is entirely necessary?" his father asked.

"Maybe not, but it's better to be safe than sorry," Colin replied with a slight shrug. His parents looked at each other.

"What do you think, Dan?" his mother asked.

"What harm is it, Em? It's going to protect our family," his father replied grimly. "And there isn't anything we can do to help end this 'War'." _Maybe not you_, Colin thought.

"Maybe we should wait and see what they're going to do," Colin suggested. His parents agreed to wait.

Colin awoke the next morning at about seven o'clock. Realising that he really had nothing to do until Melinda came to "assess the situation", he decided to go for a walk. It had been too long since he had been in his neighbourhood, and he wanted to see what had changed.

Not much, as it turned out. A few houses had been painted and a playground had been re-done, but mostly it was the same. Colin even noticed a few people around the place. For some reason, this was a bit of a letdown.

On his way back home, Colin walked past a girl about his age, though she was taller than he was. She had dark black hair. She looked at him weirdly as they passed.

"Colin?" she asked, and Colin stopped in his tracks. "Colin Creevey?" Colin turned around.

"That's me," he said, looking at the girl who obviously knew him. She did, upon reflection, seem familiar.

"I'm Rachael," she said with a bright smile. "Rachael Waters?"

"Oh! Hi! How have you been?" Colin asked, fighting the urge to blush.

"I've been okay," she said, walking back closer. "I haven't seen you in...how long?"

"Three years, I think," Colin replied. "I think it was Summer break of 1993."

"So long ago," Rachael said with a smile. "You haven't changed much. You've gotten a bit taller, but you're still just as cute." This time Colin did blush.

"You've changed quite a bit. I barely recognised you," he replied, cursing himself as his eyes moved ever-so-slightly downwards. Rachael giggled and Colin looked immediately up.

"Clearly," she said with another giggle. "You know...you still owe me that kiss."

"W-what kiss?" Colin asked.

"You don't remember?" Rachael asked. "I suppose it has been a while. I dared you to kiss me, but you had to go. Remember? It was Truth or Dare, so you have to do it. It's, like, a law." Colin laughed nervously.

"Yeah...well," he looked at his watch that read nine forty eight. "I'm sorry, but I have to go." Colin felt her grab his arm.

"Oh, come on, Colin," she said. "I can't be that bad looking."

"You aren't," he said quickly. "But I really _do_ have to go. I –" he would have said more, but Rachael silenced him by placing her lips on his. After a moments surprise, he found himself enjoying the kiss. That was until she pulled away.

"Your turn," she said softly, her blue eyes seemed to twinkle as she spoke. Colin leant in, but stopped when he suddenly felt extremely cold. "What was that?" Rachael asked. Colin quickly looked around and saw, at the end of the street, three Dementors coming towards him. He looked at Rachael only to find that she was looking around, not seeing anything.

"We have to get away from here," Colin said. "Now!"

"What?" Rachael asked. "Why?" Colin didn't bother to answer and only grabbed her hand and ran in the other direction, away from the Dementors. Luckily, she ran with him and didn't appear to question him.

"How far away is your house?" Colin asked as they ran.

"A few blocks," Rachael replied. "And in the other direction."

"Mine's closer," Colin said, breathlessly. "We need to get there. We'll be safe there." Suddenly, Rachael stopped in her tracks.

"What do you mean safe? What's going on?" she demanded. Colin could see the Dementors catching up to them and began to panic.

"I can't tell you," he said quickly. "You need to trust me."

"What's going on Colin?" she asked softly. Her body was visibly shaking. "Why don't I feel happy?"

"I can't –" Colin began, but noticed that the Dementors were getting too close. Colin tried to pull Rachael away but she stood firm. Colin sighed and moved so that she couldn't face him and he drew his wand before pointing it at the Dementors. He thought of the happiest thought that he could. He thought about the moment that Professor McGonagall told him that he was a wizard.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" he shouted. His wand produced a mist, and kept the Dementors at bay for a few seconds before it fizzled away. Colin changed his thought. This time it was a fantasy. He imagined what it would feel like to have friends.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!" he cried and, from the end of his wand, a silver turtle came from the end. With speed that, by rights, it should not have had the turtle chased down the three Dementors until they turned and fled into the sky. But the coldness didn't leave with them, Colin found. Colin looked around and saw no other Dementors, so he whirled around and immediately gasped in disbelieving horror at the sight before him.

Rachael was on the ground, a ways away, with two Dementors hovering over her, both with their hoods lifted. Colin pointed his wand at them and his turtle came right between his legs and ran at the two Dementors.

Between the silver and the horror, Colin wasn't entirely sure if the turtle had made it there in time. Despite his uncertainty, the turtle chased away the Dementors. This time, however, the coldness did go away. Not that it made Colin any happier.

Colin pocketed his wand and the turtle disappeared. He ran to where Rachael was on the ground, unmoving. The first thing he did was put his hand on her cheek and found that she was rather cold. He looked her over and found that she was still breathing, although he knew that that would still happen after a Dementor's Kiss.

"Rachael," he said, trying to get her to wake. "Rachael!" Suddenly, he heard a gasp from behind him.

"Oh my god!" a woman's voice said. "What happened?" Colin whirled around to see a woman who looked to be in her thirties who had long, brown hair.

"I...She...She was attacked," Colin said, trying desperately not to let anything slip. He realised how bad this must look.

"Attacked?" the woman asked. "By what?" Colin then noticed something coming from her pocket. It was, unmistakably the end of a wand. Colin couldn't have been happier at the sight.

"Dementors," he replied. The woman's eyes went wide.

"De-" she said, almost in disbelief. She then sunk to her knees beside Rachael. "Is she a..."

"Muggle," Colin replied. "She's a Muggle."

"Did it kiss her?" the woman asked, checking for a pulse.

"I-I'm not sure," Colin replied. "T-there were two of them. They...they had their hoods up...I couldn't see from the Patronus."

"You cast a Patronus?" she asked in disbelief. "You can't be older than fourteen." _I'm sixteen_, Colin thought bitterly as the woman waved her wand over Rachael. The woman frowned.

"Will she be alright?" Colin asked. The woman put her wand away with a frown.

"I have never dealt with a Dementor attack before," she admitted. "She seems alright as far as I can tell, but I'm not a Healer. We need to get her to St. Mungo's as fast as possible. What's your name?"

"Colin Creevey," Colin said quickly. The woman's eyes widened.

"I'm Melinda Fernando," she said. "I should have realised you would be Colin. You're the only magical child in this town other than your brother. Anyway, we really need to get to St. Mungo's."

"I'll go with you," Colin said. "But I need to let my family know."

"How far is it to your house?" Melinda asked. Colin looked down the street.

"Next block over. I can run and be back in a few minutes," Colin said.

"Fine," Melinda said. "But hurry back." Colin nodded before standing and taking off. He reached his house in about two minutes and sprinted through the door. He found his parents and Dennis were waiting in the living room.

"Colin," his mother said worriedly. "What's wrong. Did you feel that cold wave not long ago?"

"It was...Dementors," Colin said and his parents' eyes went wide and Dennis' face became devoid of all colour. "I drove them off...but Rachael...got attacked. Not sure if she's been...kissed." _Not by me, for certain_.

"Who's Rachael?" his father asked, standing up. "Do you need any help?"

"No. There's no time," Colin said breathlessly. "Melinda found me and we're taking her to St. Mungo's. I don't know when I'll be back."

He didn't wait for a response from them as he turned and bolted out of the door. By the time he reached where Melinda was waiting, he was out of breath.

"Everything okay?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," Colin replied.

"Alright," Melinda said. "I'm going to Apparate both of us and this girl –"

"Rachael," Colin interjected.

"Rachael it is," Melinda said impatiently. "I can Apparate three at a time, so I'm going to need you to take my hand while I take Rachael's. This can be a bit disorientating the first time around, but I'm sure you'll be fine." She grabbed Colin's hand firmly before leaning down and picking up Rachael's. Melinda then turned on the spot and everything went black. Colin's body felt like it was being hit by a car for a moment.

And then, finally, colour returned to the world and he found that he was no longer in his home town, but was actually inside a large building with very white walls. He soon noticed that he was in St. Mungo's. He then started to feel a bit sick and his body felt a bit drained.

"We need some help here!" Melinda yelled. "We have a Muggle that's been attacked by a Dementor!" Within seconds, three men rushed to where Rachael was laying on the ground. One man, who had a short beard, pointed his wand at her and she levitated off the ground. All three walked away with two of them waving their wands frantically over Rachael's body.

"You can let go of my hand now," Melinda said softly. Colin immediately let go, not noticing that he hadn't done so before then.

"Where are they taking her?" Colin asked, watching as she disappeared through a door.

"There's a special part of the hospital specifically for Muggle victims of wizardry. She will be put there and they will determine whether there is anything wrong with her," Melinda replied softly.

"And if there is something wrong?" Colin asked, looking at Melinda. "If the Dementor's did suck out her soul?" Melinda's face darkened.

"Because she is a Muggle, they cannot tell her family," Melinda said gravely, "so they will likely kill her so that they do not have to house her any further." Colin's mouth fell open.

"What?" he asked after a moment. "They...they might...kill her? That's..."

"Terrible, I know," Melinda replied, the disgust evident in her voice and her face. "But there is, and will more than likely never be, a cure for this. Since the body lives on, it becomes a hassle to look after her further. But she is still human."

"Do you think..." Colin began to ask, afraid of the answer. He suddenly remembered her lips on his and he was beginning to fight back the tears.

"I don't know," Melinda replied, truthfully, knowing what Colin had wanted to say. "There is always some form of reaction from a Dementor being that close, even if they haven't been kissed. It could be that she's just in shock."

"And...If that happens?" Colin asked. Melinda seemed to scan his face.

"That depends," she replied.

"On what?" Colin asked, expecting the worst.

"If she were already aware of the Wizarding World, they would let her go after a time," Melinda responded. "If she isn't aware, then it may come down to you."

"Me?" Colin choked out. "Why me?"

"If you and Rachael are...close enough...the Ministry may not have to wipe her memory of the event," Melinda replied carefully. Colin's brain seemed to tick over.

"What do you mean by "close enough"?" he asked. Melinda watched his face carefully.

"If you and she are in a relationship, that may be enough," she replied. "Or if you are related in some way. Maybe as a cousin." Colin fell silent.

He certainly wasn't "close enough" to Rachael, despite that kiss. And they would have to prove that they were related, which would be a problem. The easiest thing for Colin to do would be let them wipe her memory of the incident. But the thought of that made Colin's skin crawl.

Ever since he first learnt that such Charms existed, Colin had felt a deep sense of horror at the simple thought of them. He felt that it was a very large invasion of privacy. Not to mention that it frightened him that he could have had one cast on him already and he might not ever know. It was way too creepy for Colin to consider.

"Perhaps we should sit down?" Melinda suddenly said, snapping Colin out of his reverie. She gestured towards some wooden chairs. It was only then that Colin actually looked around the room. There was a desk at the front of the room that had a witch seated at it. There were seats around the room, organised in a way that Colin thought was nonsensical. There were a few people around, but it was mostly empty. Colin sat down next to Melinda. "We may as well get this assessment over and done with. Although, after this, I don't doubt that they will give you the emancipation you clearly need. Although, I'm surprised that the owl hasn't made its way yet."

As soon as she finished talking, an owl flew in through a nearby open window. It dropped a letter into Colin's lap and then flew back out the window. Coin picked up the letter and opened it.

_Dear Mr Creevey,_

_We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at seven minutes to ten this morning in a Muggle inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle._

_The Ministry of Magic would like to remind you that you are not to perform magic of any kind outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before the age of seventeen. You are also not to perform magic in front of any Muggle. As a result of you having no prior warnings and because of the current climate, we are going to leave you with a warning this time._

_Because of the use of the Patronus Charm, we are sending Ministry Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt to your current location to assess the situation. There is a Tracking Charm on this parchment, so Auror Shacklebolt shall be there soon._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Improper Use of Magic Office_

_Ministry of Magic_

"I've always had good timing," Melinda said with a small smile. Colin wasn't really listening as he was just happy that he wasn't expelled from Hogwarts or going to Azkaban. "Do you mind if I have a look?"

"Go ahead," Colin said, handing the parchment to her. Melinda read it through and, just as she finished, there was a small pop in front of them. Colin looked up and found a tall, black wizard in crimson robes standing in front of them.

"What did I say?" Melinda murmured to Colin. "Good morning Shack."

"Melinda," Shacklebolt said in a deep, yet pleasant voice. "It's been a while. How's Kendall?"

"He's fine," Melinda said with a smile. Shacklebolt turned his gaze to Colin. Colin flinched only slightly.

"Colin Creevey, I take it?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Colin replied. Kingsley laughed.

"No need to be frightened," he said. "I'm not here to take you to Azkaban. I'm just here to find out why exactly you were using a Patronus in the presence of a Muggle. And why you are at St. Mungo's now that I know."

So, Colin told the story of the Dementor attack to the Auror in excruciating detail. Every so often, Shacklebolt would stop and ask a question and Colin answered as best he could. When he was finished, Shacklebolt only had one question.

"And why were you with Rachael?" he asked. Colin promptly turned red and Shacklebolt laughed with Melinda joining in. "I think I can guess from that. I must say, Colin, I'm impressed. Most fully grown wizards can't fight off one Dementor, let alone five. That's impressive."

"Thank you, sir," Colin said, a sense of pride welling inside of him before he remembered Rachael's unmoving face.

"What are you going to do?" Melinda asked. Shacklebolt's face turned slightly sour.

"There isn't much we can do any more," he replied in his deep voice. "It's pretty obvious that we've lost control of the Dementors, and we can't exactly track them down. All we can do is help Rachael however we can. What are you doing with him anyway, Melinda?"

"I was on my way to speak with him about possible emancipation," she replied. Shacklebolt's face didn't change.

"Probably not a bad idea," Shacklebolt said, turning to Colin. "You're sixteen, correct?"

"I'll be seventeen next May," Colin confirmed.

"And you're a Muggle-born which means you may have to go into hiding and you need to be able to defend your family," Shacklebolt said. "That's fair enough and I think this Dementor attack might actually help your case. Since he'll be deciding, I can have a word to Scrimgeour about it. He used to be my boss and he helped train me."

"Thank you," Colin said sincerely. Shacklebolt turned to Melinda.

"Perhaps you should go and try to find out something about Rachael," he suggested. Melinda nodded and stood up before heading to the desk.

"I'm part of the Order and I am going to talk to you tomorrow about hiding," Shacklebolt said quietly to Colin, whose eyes widened. "It was pure luck that I got sent here today. Normally I'm with the Prime Minister."

"You work with the Prime Minister?" Colin asked in surprise. "That's really cool!"

"_For_ him," Shacklebolt clarified. "I'm a bodyguard of his. I'll tell you, it's good to talk to someone who actually understands what I'm talking about. Most witches and wizards don't know what a Prime Minister is, let alone how important he is. It's probably because they don't care enough about Muggle culture."

Before he could think too much about that, Melinda walked back over to them.

"Is she okay?" Colin asked immediately.

"She still has her soul," Melinda confirmed. Colin let out a sigh of relief before Melinda continued, "but she is still unconscious. The Healers are certain that she will wake, they just don't know precisely when."

"Can we see her?" Colin asked, standing up quickly.

"They say that we can," Melinda said. "But they also say that they need to talk to you first."

"Perhaps I should be on my way then," Shacklebolt suddenly cut in.

"Hold on Shack," Melinda said, reaching into a bag that Colin hadn't realised that she had. She pulled out what looked like a Muggle clipboard and some parchment with a Muggle pen. When Colin gave her a look, she just smiled. She wrote something on the parchment before signing it and giving it to Shacklebolt. "Could you give this to Rufus if you get the chance?" Shacklebolt smiled.

"Am I a messenger now?" he asked with a chuckle. Melinda laughed.

"Just this once?" she said in a clearly fake, pleading voice. "For me?" Shacklebolt rolled his eyes.

"Of course, Melinda," he said. "Someone from the Ministry will be in contact, Colin."

"Bye, sir," Colin replied. With that, Shacklebolt Apparated away.

"Come on Colin," Melinda said. "You just need to talk to a Healer for a minute before you see Rachael." Melinda and Colin then walked towards the desk where the receptionist sat while a male Healer stood in front with a Quick Quotes Quill and some parchment floating in mid-air.

"Hello Colin," the Healer said pleasantly. "My name is Stephen Bendixson I just need you to answer some questions for me."

Colin answered a few questions about the incident with the Quill taking down everything that he said, even what form his Patronus took. Colin answered each question easily. That was until it got to a certain point.

"Okay, Colin," Healer Bendixsen said, "we're nearly done. I just need you to answer a few more questions. What is your relationship to Rachel Waters?" _A choice between what is right, and what is easy_, Colin remembered from the end of Third Year.

"I'm her boyfriend," Colin said firmly, after only a few seconds. "I have been for three years, even though we've only seen each other in the holidays over summer, Christmas and sometimes Easter. That's why I was with her." Colin looked over to Melinda and saw that it was clear that she didn't believe him. She didn't say anything, however. Healer Bendixson simply moved on to the next question.

* * *

_**Author's**** Note**_

**I'm quite happy with this chapter. Quite a few OC's in this chapter, but only some of these will actually appear again. Some of you may think that Colin here is different to canon, but I disagree. The Colin seen in the canon series would, surely, not be all that he is. I take a different approach wit Colin in general.**

**I just wanted to point out that I am open to hearing your thoughts on this so far. Whether you like it, or hate it, I still want to know because I wouldn't mind a bit of constructive criticism. Also, I would like to reiterate that I am hoping that someone out there can come up with a better name for this story. I'll keep it if necessary, but I wouldn't mind a few options. Also, if you want me to do a Point of View Chapter for a character, let me know and I will take that into account. As it stands, I have Colin, Draco and two other male characters as well as one female character decided upon, so I need a few more. I want around 8 characters to have chapters of. I'm not planning on any Point of View Chapters from OC's at this point, though. The only restrictions are that I won't do any Point of View Chapters for Harry, Snape or Voldemort.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope to hear your thoughts!**


	3. Minerva

**********Disclaimer****: The following story is merely fanfiction derived from the amazing works of J.K. Rowling, the author of the great "_Harry Potter_" series. While, at times, there will be dialogue used from various books in the "_Harry Potter_" series, I do not intend copyright infringement. I will make no money from this venture and I am simply trying to improve my writing skills.**

* * *

_**Minerva**_

"What makes you believe that I know where Potter is?" Minerva McGonagall asked exasperatedly.

"You don't think I know that you are a member of Dumbledore's Order?" Rufus Scrimgeour asked pointedly. "If ever there was anyone to be in that group, Minerva, it would be you." Minerva nearly flinched at the mention of Albus' name. It was only three days after Albus' funeral, and the wound was still fresh. Apparently Rufus had noticed something on her face before smiling and reaching under his large desk and pulling out two glasses. "Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you," Minerva replied. Rufus shrugged and poured himself what appeared to be red wine. "Why do you want to know where Potter is?"

"I need him," Rufus said easily. Minerva became curious at that statement. "Now more than ever."

"Why now more than ever, Rufus?" Minerva asked in a stern tone. "Because Albus is gone? Nothing else has changed." _Everything has changed_.

"You don't think I can't see the beginnings of a pattern here, Minerva?" Rufus asked, taking a sip of his wine. "You-Know-Who is going to try to take out anyone that could potentially rally forces against him. He started with Amelia Bones, who was pegged to be the next Minister and would have done a damn good job of it. He's now taken out Dumbledore. Who do you think will be next?"

"That may well be true, but that doesn't explain why you need Potter so desperately," Minerva shot back. Despite everything, though, she couldn't deny his logic.

"If Potter declares that he is behind me as Minister, I can gather forces together a lot quicker," Rufus said. "I'm doing a reasonable job of getting the Wizarding World united, but a lot of people are scared and won't do anything. If Potter tells them all that he is with the Ministry one hundred percent, we can rally people together quicker than Voldemort would expect."

"And what would you do if these people are rallied together?" Minerva asked. "Have them all become Aurors? Create an army? I've taught a lot of students over the years and, no offence to any of them, they would form a rather poor army. There is a reason why not everyone becomes an Auror. They either lack the skills or the discipline."

"Everyone united together for one purpose would give us more numbers than Voldemort," Rufus pointed out. "And Harry Potter –"

"Is just a boy," Minerva butted in. Rufus' face turned red. "He is sixteen, Rufus! He cannot even legally perform magic outside of Hogwarts and you propose to make him rally an army? No. Leave that to the people who are better suited to it. Like yourself."

"They won't follow me," Rufus said angrily, his face turning slightly redder. "They _will_ follow him!"

"Like they did in the Triwizard Tournament?" Minerva asked angrily.

"Where is he?" Rufus growled, standing up. "Tell me."

"No," Minerva said firmly. "A good Minister doesn't need a figurehead, Rufus."

"Just what are you implying, _Professor_?" Rufus snarled.

"I am _implying_ that you should refocus your efforts from trying to get Harry Potter on your side to actually trying to track down and apprehend some Death Eaters," Minerva said cooly, standing slowly from her seat, the Minister's face turning purple. "Harry Potter and his friends caught more Death Eaters on their own in the Department of Mysteries a year ago than you have in your entire time as Minister. Six teenagers were able to catch twelve Death Eaters while your Aurors have caught...can you remind me of the number again, I appear to have forgotten."

"The number is not –" Rufus began angrily but McGonagall cut him off.

"One," she said simply. "And it wasn't even an actual Death Eater."

"Stanley Shunpike is a proven Death Eater," Rufus said. It was so absurd that Minerva had to let out a laugh.

"Stanley Shunpike is no Death Eater," Minerva said, shaking her head. "A braggart, yes. But a Death Eater he is not. And only a fool could believe otherwise. And you didn't even give him a trial!"

"I don't remember anyone giving a damn when Sirius Black didn't get a trial!" Rufus burst out.

"Sirius Black was innocent, you fool!" Minerva said angrily. Rufus was taken aback. "Yes. Sirius Black spent eleven years in Azkaban for a crime he did not commit."

"How could this be, Minerva?" Rufus asked. "Black was the Potters' Secret Keeper."

"No, he was not," Minerva replied. "That's what they wanted people to believe. Peter Pettigrew was the real Secret Keeper."

"Well then, why didn't he tell the Ministry that?" Rufus asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Because he had no trial!" Minerva burst out. "He had no chance to defend himself. That was until he escaped from Azkaban to get Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew is dead," Rufus said quickly.

"Pettigrew is not dead," Minerva said in a steely tone. "He was a rat animagus. He killed the Muggles and transformed after cutting off a finger to fake his own death. Pettigrew then spent eleven years as the Weasleys' pet rat before Sirius noticed him in the _Daily Prophet_. That's why he escaped."

"You...you're serious," Rufus said, breathing out. "Well, where is the man? I will give him a full pardon immediately."

"He is dead," Minerva said sombrely. "He was killed in the Department of Mysteries. He fell through the Veil." There was silence as Rufus apparently tried to digest what he had heard. "If that is all..."

"No," Rufus said quickly before Minerva could leave. "I must know where Potter is." Minerva let out a sigh of frustration.

"There is a very good reason why Albus kept Potter's location a secret, Rufus," Minerva said, moving to the door. "To keep people like you away from him."

"What exactly does that mean, Minerva?" Rufus asked angrily. Minerva didn't even bother to turn around.

"Potter doesn't need you, and the rest of the world, to remind him that his parents are dead," she said before exiting the room, not bothering to wait for a response.

"What'd he want?" Alastor Moody asked immediately after Minerva shut the door. The sound of his staff hitting the floor followed as they both walked away.

"He wanted to know Harry's location," Minerva replied.

"You didn't tell him, I hope," Alastor said gruffly. Minerva rolled her eyes.

"Of course I didn't, Alastor," she replied as they walked past Percy Weasley's office. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"I take you for a person, Minerva," Alastor replied. Minerva knew better than to reply to that.

The two walked in silence, save the clash of wood on floor, until they got to the designated area from which they could Apparate away. They both went straight to Hogsmeade. The Hog's Head, to be precise.

"Good afternoon, Aberforth," Minerva said courteously as she eyed the bartender who looked so much like Albus to the untrained eye. "Not busy I see."

"Not yet," he grunted. He had never been a good friend of Minerva's. She assumed that it came back to Albus. "Just don't be here at five. That's when it begins."

"I'm sure," Minerva said.

"You aren't coming to Hogwarts for the meeting?" Alastor asked, his magical eye apparently scanning the area. As he spoke, Minerva's own eyes went to the portrait of Ariana. It was a sad portrait for her, as she was one of the only people to actually know the poor girl's story. _And she was such a beautiful girl, too_, Minerva thought morosely.

"No," Aberforth replied. Minerva thought that he was more polite to Alastor than her. "Not today. I can't imagine much happened anyway. I heard the Creevey boy was attacked. That's about all I've heard."

"Colin wasn't attacked," Minerva pointed out. "His Muggle girlfriend was. He saved her, apparently. I wasn't even aware that he had a girlfriend."

"Not even Hogwarts can get every piece of gossip," Aberforth said.

"That's true, but I've heard less interesting stories before," Minerva said. Truth be told, she was actually a little surprised when she heard about Colin Creevey and the Muggle girl. She had always assumed differently about him.

"Enough small talk, Minerva," Alastor said quickly. "If we don't get moving, we'll be late for the meeting."

"How can we be late when we are the one's running it?" Minerva asked. Alastor scowled and Minerva turned to Aberforth. "Good afternoon, Aberforth."

"Good afternoon, Minerva," Aberforth reluctantly said before nodding to Alastor. "Alastor."

"Aberforth," Alastor replied with a nod of his own. Minerva then exited the pub before Alastor and began walking up to the school. When they got there, both of them swiftly moved to the Great Hall, where they knew everyone would be waiting.

When they entered the Great Hall, Minerva saw that the Hall had been reorganised into a setting easier for the meeting. There was a large, rounded table in the centre of the Hall around which members of the Order of the Phoenix sat. Minerva noted that Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Mundungus Fletcher, Hagrid, Hestia Jones, Arthur, Molly, Charlie, Fred and George Weasley as well as Fleur Delacour and, surprisingly, a recovering Bill Weasley who looked slightly better, but Minerva had her reservations about whether he should have been there.

"I apologise for our lateness," Minerva said as she approached the table and an empty seat next to a very happy looking Nymphadora Tonks. "The Minister kept me longer than I expected. He wanted to know where Harry is. Naturally, I didn't tell him."

"He's still trying to use Harry as a scapegoat?" Arthur asked. Minerva nodded.

"Sadly, yes," she replied. "I think we can all agree that this cannot happen. As this is the first Order meeting since Dumbledore's funeral, we have to discuss a few things. Firstly, Snape."

"Bastard," Fred and George said together. Normally, for use of that kind of language, Molly would have chided them. She, however, did not bat an eyelid. Minerva concurred with that statement.

"We can no longer use Number 12 as a meeting place," Alastor said. "We have all become unwitting Secret Keepers for that hole, and that includes Snape. Myself, Shacklebolt and Tonks went to the house yesterday and found that it was untouched, although we did set some traps for anyone who may want to enter."

"They won't like it one bit," Tonks said with a wicked smile. Minerva smiled as well at the thought.

"Is there anything else that anyone might have told Snape that could be of importance?" Minerva asked.

"Nothing specifically," Remus said. "But he does know where we all live. Well, most of us at least. That could be a problem."

"Could we all go under the Fidelius?" Diggle asked. A few people turned to Bill for an answer.

"We could, but it would require a lot of effort," he said. Minerva was shocked by how weak he sounded. He was nothing like the boy she had taught years ago. She hoped that he would recover fully. "I can cast it, as can Flitwick I believe. It's a very draining charm, so it can't be used to much or too often by the same person and, as it is, I'm not up to full strength. I don't think the Fidelius is the best bet for now. I think protective wards would be best."

"But they're far easier to get around than the Fidelius," Hestia pointed out. "What if we all stayed with each other? We could lower the amount of times we need to use the Fidelius."

"It would be difficult with me," Remus pointed out. "And the Weasleys won't have much room when the wedding rolls around. I agree with Bill. We need to ward our homes as best we can."

"I'm sure Filius would be more than happy to help if anyone needs it," Minerva said quickly. "At least until Bill is better. I, too, am rather adept at protective wards if any of you require my assistance."

"If I may, Minerva," Kingsley said in his deep voice. Minerva nodded and Kingsley stood. "As I'm sure most of you know by now, there was a Dementor attack that involved Colin Creevey two days ago. I was sent in to investigate his use of the Patronus charm in the presence of what turned out to be his Muggle girlfriend."

"Colin cast a Patronus?" Remus asked suddenly. When Kingsley nodded, Remus shook his head. "I would never have guessed it of him."

"Apparently Harry taught it to him during the Dumbledore's Army lessons," Kingsley said, looking impressed himself.

"Impressive," Remus murmured, the thought mimicked by everyone else in the room.

"Moving on," Kingsley interrupted. "Both Colin and the Muggle girl, Rachael Waters, escaped without being Kissed. By the Dementor at least." There was slight laughter around the room.

"So this Rachael," Molly said. "She will now become aware of the magical world? Is that wise?"

"Perhaps not," Kingsley admitted. "But it is the law. A loophole, I'll admit, but a law nonetheless. If a Muggle is attacked magically, they usually have their memories altered. There are cases, like these, where the Muggle in question has a close enough relationship to someone in our world and will be told about it all." Minerva shifted uncomfortably.

"I was not even aware that Colin had a girlfriend," she said. "And, as I'm sure a lot of you know, things travel very quickly around Hogwarts." Nearly everyone murmured their assent.

"I'm pretty sure they're together," Kingsley said. "When I was questioning him about her, he turned a shade of red that I've seen plenty of times before with boys his age." Minerva was not convinced, but let it drop.

"Did you help the family?" she asked and Kingsley nodded.

"I offered them a place in France, but they would not take it," Kingsley said. "We talked for a while and I ended up warding the house as best I could. I even put detection wards in and tied them to the youngest boy."

"Dennis?" Minerva asked. "Why Dennis and not Colin?" Kingsley shrugged.

"Colin suggested it this way because Dennis was younger and would likely be at the home more often," he replied.

"I suppose that would be true –" one of the twins began.

"If he does, indeed, have a girlfriend," the other finished.

"We've talked about this enough," Alastor said moodily.

"Very true," Arthur said. "What about the rest of the Muggle-borns? How many others took up our offer?"

"Not many, truthfully," Minerva said sadly. "Other than the Creeveys, there are maybe six other families. Kingsley, Tonks, Hestia and Elphias are going to their homes at various times to get things done."

"Why so little an amount?" Arthur asked, shocked. Minerva sighed.

"Muggle-raised students don't fully understand the severity of the war," Minerva replied in a sad tone. "Their parents didn't live through the last one, so they know little or nothing about it. And all they know about this one is what they have been told, more often than not by the _Daily Prophet_, and they were saying that there was no war a year ago." There was a silence in the room for a moment before it was broken by Alastor.

"What about Potter? We need to make some plans regarding him," the old Auror grumbled.

"Harry has returned to the Dursleys' per Albus' request," Minerva said. "The protections there will wear off on his birthday, so we will need to move him before then."

"Why couldn't he come and stay with us?" Molly asked. "At least then I would know he's safe."

"It's too dangerous, Molly," Remus said. "I don't like it any more than you do, but he has to stay there."

"When are we going to move him?" Hestia asked.

"We were thinking a few days prior to his birthday," Minerva said. "We know that Snape knows about the protections and will have told You-Know-Who when they break. The Death Eaters will, undoubtedly, attempt an attack as soon as the protections are gone. If Harry is still there it could end badly. It makes sense to move him before then."

"But how, though?" Fleur asked. "This eez a very dangerous task, surely. You-Know-Who could have people stationed around Preevet Drive."

"He does," Mundungus said. "I see 'em every time it's my turn to watch the house. Scares me 'alf to death i' does. I'm glad I have an Invisibili'y Cloak to hide me, tha's for sure."

"See?" Fleur said pointedly.

"We are aware of this, Fleur," Minerva said. "The wards seem to extend past the house for a while. It covers the street directly in front of it and some of the area surrounding it, though admittedly not as much as would be best. However, even with that small amount, we should be able to get Harry out quickly and efficiently. We should be able to simply send one person to Apparate him out of there."

"What if something goes wrong?" Charlie asked suddenly.

"What could go wrong?" Minerva asked.

"Everything," Alastor grumbled.

"What if You-Know-Who himself puts an Anti-Apparition ward on Privet Drive?" Charlie asked. "It is entirely possible."

"He's right," Alastor grunted. "We need to plan for the worst. And by the worst, I mean not being able to get Potter out of there by any conventional means. Anything could go wrong." Minerva was astounded.

"Is that entirely necessary?" she asked, shocked.

"With Voldemort around?" Alastor asked, causing the group to almost collectively shudder, with the surprising exception of the Weasley Twins, Remus and Tonks. "Absolutely. Our lack of caution cost people their lives in the last war. We have to assume that everything that can go wrong, will. Otherwise we will end up being caught unawares."

"Well, what do you propose then, Alastor?" Minerva asked, worried at what the old Auror would come up with. The man wasn't exactly known for easy plans.

"Polyjuice Potion," he said, garnering strange looks from all around him. "We get thirteen people. Six of them will take Polyjuice Potion to look like Potter and will pair off with one of the other seven. Each group of two will then get onto something that can fly. Broomsticks, Thestrals, etcetera. They then fly away to one of seven safe houses, where there will be a Portkey set to leave there to go to one of the other houses. They take the Portkey and get to the last Safe House, safe and sound."

Minerva was speechless. The amount of thought that Alastor must have put into this plan went beyond on the spot thinking. In a way, it gave an insight into the paranoia that the man clearly suffered from.

"Bu' wha' if there's an attack mid-air?" Hagrid suddenly asked. Alastor's face turned grim.

"We fight our way through," he said.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Hestia asked. Alastor nodded.

"But this is a last resort plan, so there are always going to be risks," he said. "But it seems like Potter's safety is paramount here, so we have to do what we can to protect him." On that, Minerva agreed. _Albus believed in Harry, so I must as well_.

"We can discuss this more at a later date," Minerva said, hoping to get the conversation away from such topics. "Does anyone else have anything else to say?"

"I have not heard of many attacks recently," Elphias put in. "With the exception of the Creevey boy, there has only been one other Dementor attack, in which three elderly witches and one wizard were kissed, and the Dark Mark has not been seen once."

"They're just laying low because of Dumbledore's death," Remus said. "I hate to say it, but the attacks will increase sooner rather than later."

"Has there been any word on Hogwarts reopening yet, Minerva?" Molly asked. Minerva shook her head.

"I asked Rufus during our meeting and he says that he isn't sure yet," Minerva said. "I have high hopes, but it may not come to pass." _That is the price of having a Headmaster as good as Albus. It is tough to think of Hogwarts the same way again_.

"And if Hogwarts doesn't reopen?" Molly asked, clearly concerned. Minerva secretly shared that concern, though tried her best not to show it.

"We could always stow everyone away –" one of the twins began.

"In Gringotts," the other finished. The both of them had large smiles on their faces.

"Boys!" Molly yelled. "This is no laughing matter!" _Albus would have smiled_, Minerva thought morosely.

"If Hogwarts doesn't reopen," Remus began, "we would need to look into protecting the Muggle-borns more. They are the primary targets in this war. But I don't think this will be a problem because I think Scrimgeour is smart enough to realise that what happened to Albus was a mere fluke. The cabinet has been destroyed?" Minerva nodded. She had blasted the thing to pieces in a fit of rage not long after Harry told them that Dumbledore was dead. She could not find a piece larger than her thumb nail when she was done. "You see? All we would need to do is close off the secret entrances to the school and there would be no way for the Death Eaters to enter the school short of an all-out attack, which even Voldemort wouldn't be stupid enough to do."

"Secret entrances?" Molly asked with an edge to her tone. Her eyes darted straight to Fred and George almost comically.

"There are a few," Remus admitted. Minerva nearly smiled. She knew each and every one of the secret passageways in Hogwarts, but never did anything about it. She figured that, if it was okay for her to do when she was there, what bad could happen if the next generations did it as well. Well, apparently a lot of bad could come of it.

"I agree with you, Remus," Elphias said in a slightly wheezy voice. "And I'm sure everyone else here does, as well. But Rufus does not, and he is the one we need to convince."

"Scrimgeour will open the school," Alastor announced. "He's a politician. And, as a politician, he knows that if he closed the school, it would incite a widespread panic. Not only would the parents be concerned that even Hogwarts is not safe, but the children would worry as well. He would be wise to ensure that the school is protected in any manner possible and open it to students." Minerva could tell that Alastor was right. If anything, the man could be relied upon to know how people think.

"Wouldn't parents already be worried that the school isn't safe?" Hestia asked. "Albus _was_ killed in the school, after all."

"And he was the only one," Alastor grumbled. Minerva's eyes immediately went to Bill, who, actually saw her gaze and smiled sadly. "They will try to convince themselves that he was the only target and that the Death Eaters wouldn't bother even attacking Hogwarts again. If the school closed, it would confirm the danger. Despite everything, Hogwarts is a symbol of strength to people. If that strength was taken away, people would feel weak."

"But why would Scrimgeour not just announce that it will be opened?" Charlie asked.

"I said he was a politician, didn't I?" Alastor asked with a strange, scarred smile. Everyone mulled that over in their minds for a moment before Minerva spoke.

"Does anyone need to say anything else?" she asked. She looked around the group and saw Tonks look at Remus, who nodded. Tonks smiled broadly as she stood from her chair, pulling Remus up with her. Minerva noticed that her hair had changed from a dark brown to a bright pink as she stood. It was certainly interesting to see. Minerva had always wanted to be a Metamorphmagus ever since she heard about the ability.

"We have something to announce," Tonks said in the most girlish voice Minerva had heard her use since she had taught the girl, not all that long ago. "Nothing to do with all this dreary stuff. We're getting married!"

"What?" Molly yelled, with a smile on her face. She immediately stood up and almost ran over to Tonks, who was beaming. Molly wrapped her into a massive hug. After that, everyone congratulated them.

"When's the wedding?" Hagrid asked happily.

"Soon," Remus replied evasively. "It's not going to be very big."

"How soon?" Molly asked.

"Four days," Tonks said excitedly. "I'm getting married in four days!"

"You know the Ministry isn't going to like this very much," Minerva said. She hated being devil's advocate, but she had to be, as no one else seemed to be. Normally that would be what Remus would do.

"Bugger the bloody Ministry," Tonks said, the smile not leaving her face. "We're getting married in a Muggle Church." At the odd looks, Remus decided to elaborate.

"The Ministry has no jurisdiction over that, but they have to acknowledge it. It's the law," he explained.

"Why now?" Kingsley asked suddenly. "Why not after the war?"

"Why not now?" Fleur suddenly asked, her arm around her own husband-to-be. "Why should our life stop because of ze war? Eesn't that what You-Know-'oo wants? To stop us leeving our own lives?"

"I suppose I can't argue with that," Kingsley said with a reluctant smile.

"Can't or won't?" Bill asked with a scarred smile. Quite a few people laughed. After that, the meeting became nothing more than social.

Later that night, Minerva told Alastor that she would take his shift watching Number Four. Minerva had only done this job a few times before, but she felt like she should do something. After everything said by Rufus and the Order, she felt a strange urge to look over Harry.

Minerva Apparated to an area a few streets away and swiftly turned into her cat form. It had been a few days since she last used her Animagus form, so it felt strangely freeing. It was strange, but when she was a cat, Minerva didn't seem to feel the weight of everything as much.

Mostly she put this down to a cat's main nature. Cats are always known for being very calm creatures for the most part, and part of that carried over to her when she transformed and she didn't seem to worry as much. Even Albus' death didn't seem so bad while she was a cat.

Not that she lost all of her finely honed human inhibitions, however. She was still very much aware of the importance of getting to Privet Drive and relieving Mundungus of his job. The man had only been at the post for a few hours, but he would undoubtedly have a thousand things to whine about. But, even with that knowledge, Minerva didn't feel so angry or annoyed. It was there, but it didn't seem so important.

She soon reached the house and lifted her head. She may not be able to see Mundungus through the Invisibility Cloak he would be wearing, she could certainly smell him. She sniffed the air and smelt something coming from somewhere to her right. She put her head down and started to walk towards the smell.

She was a slightly startled when she found that she could see the man rather clearly, which in itself was shocking. Minerva moved a little slower at the sight of the uncovered Mundungus, who was face down in the grass. As she got closer, she realised that Mundungus smelled different. He always smelt somewhat bad, but there was something wrong with his scent this time.

She paused for a moment, realising that Mundungus was actually outside of the blood wards. She felt her fur stand up a little as she realised that. Even as a cat, she was beginning to feel quite a bit of fear creep through. She decided that she did actually need to check on Mundungus, so she left the wards.

When she reached Mundungus, she noticed something that made her suck in a breath, even as a cat. Mundungus was not breathing. Minerva started to panic and wondered if it would be wise to turn back into human form to check on him.

She realised that she had no choice but to do so as she needed to make sure. She quickly changed from a cat back to a human and knelt down to look at Mundungus, looking immediately for a pulse with her wand. He found none. She sucked in a breath. Minerva heard the rustle of grass behind her.

Minerva quickly stood up and turned around but wasn't able to see her attacker before being hit by a spell. Minerva went down straight away.

* * *

_**Author's**** Note**_

**This chapter isn't as long as the other two, but I couldn't think of a way to lengthen it that didn't seem like I was actually trying to lengthen it. Besides, it drags on as it is. But it needs to drag on, because I felt that an Order Meeting was needed to establish what they were doing. Besides, I think the ending there was a pretty big payoff from the slow nature of the chapter.  
**

**I had debated long and hard about including Minerva as a Point of View Character, so I settled on this. With her inclusion, I know have Draco, Colin and Minerva. I have one other female set in stone as well as two males. That's only six, so I wouldn't mind it if someone could give me an idea for another one or two. I'm considering a Muggle for one.**

**It doesn't take long to review, and it would do a lot to let me know whether this story is worth it or not. I do need to know what I'm doing wrong and what I'm doing right, so just tell me. If you use a profile to review, I will get back to you at some point. Thank you to _HalfBloodPrincess _for reviewing and for the kind words.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you!**


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